Kids Alarm Clock

A kids alarm clock is a great way to introduce your child to the concept of telling time.  When I was a child, my Mom had a vinyl record with a storybook on how to tell time.  It had a standard paper clock with moveable arms inside-as an educational tool to introduce the child to hours and minutes.  You can make a paper clock for your child with construction paper, number it for each of the twelve hours, and create two red arrows for arms or hands (one for minutes and one for hours).  Secure the arrow with a moveable clip in the middle.  This will introduce the child to telling time, and help prepare it for its own alarm clock.

When you select the kids alarm clock for your child, you’ll want to decide whether to get one with a traditional clock face, or a digital one.  Is your child just learning how to tell time?  Would a traditional clock face reinforce how to read time in places outside the home?  If the child simply needs to know the time for personal organization, then a digital clock might be best.  You could even get the child two clocks-a digital one with big, bold numbers that are easy to see across the room-and a special, smaller one with the standard clock face.  If you do decide to get both kinds, I would recommend spending some regular time with the child, to ensure that he or she learns how to tell time in the traditional method.

It is important to keep the kids alarm clock exciting and fun.  Practice setting the alarm and letting it go off during the day.  Let the child see that, as the time approaches, the clock will respond.  Let him or her wait with anticipation.  There are many cute options available.  In addition to clock-radios, some alarm clocks speak words when it’s time to rise.  My friend had a Japanese one that shouted “Oh-Hai-Yo!” and danced when it was time to get up.

I remember the clocks that were popular in the eighties--that were shaped like baseballs, soccer balls, basketballs, or footballs.  You could throw them when the alarm went off.  I would not recommend getting this type of clock for a young child-as it could quickly end up under the bed, in the laundry basket, or in a different room where it awakens you at unexpected hours.  However, this type of clock would be appropriate for an older child or teenager.  It would also be appropriate for a college student or an adult who enjoys sleeping in.

Some kids alarm clocks are shaped like animals, like cars, or like cartoon characters.  Some have bells and ring.  Some make electronic beeping noises.  Others play songs, and some have iPod or radio connections.  My first suggestion is to determine the needed functionality.  Is your child just learning how to tell time?  Then, you’ll want to have some sort of a clock with a traditional clock face-even if you end up with two clocks.  Does your child need to see the time from across the room, so that he can check it frequently and prepare for classes, activities, and sports practice?
 
You can even create a game, where you set an “appointment” to do something fun at a certain time.  The child sets the alarm, and when it goes off, it’s time for milk and cookies, a game of checkers, or a story with Mom or Dad.  This approach will make it exciting for the child, and it will reinforce the alarm as a positive thing.  Kids will enjoy a kids alarm clock if it is presented as an adult type of toy, but one directed especially towards them.  This will encourage their learning about time.